Occitanie, Normandy… In which regions are car repairs the cheapest?

In its eighth barometer of automobile repair prices in France, the online comparator idGarages points to an increase of more than 7% in garage costs since 2023. The study published this Tuesday mentions inflation in the price of parts for justify a higher final bill and a great disparity depending on the region.

A bill that is often too high. Going to the mechanic is never a good sign for your wallet. Even less at the end of the year, according to the barometer of automobile repair prices in France from the idGarages comparator published this Tuesday.

In the eighth edition of this comparison, the price of repairs is studied closely from one year to the next. Result: the prices of all services are rising, but the bill is not the same everywhere in France. In the game of the most expensive region to have your vehicle repaired, Île-de-France remains king of the category, but the bottom of the ranking is shaken up.

According to the online comparator, the increase in prices from one year to the next is a continuation of that of 2023, “but at a more moderate pace”, i.e. 7.64% this year, compared to +11.51 % for the evolution between 2022 and 2023.

11 points between the most expensive and least expensive region

As in 2023, Ile-de-France retains, under the influence of Paris (+7.9%), the most expensive region to have your vehicle repaired. In detail, it even experiences an average increase of 46.76 euros compared to the national average, or +7.2%. Not far behind, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region remains the second most expensive region (+3.5%), due to high additional costs and the margins charged by garage owners, idGarages analysis.

1. In Île-de-France, repair costs increased by 7.2% in one year.
2. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, they increased by 3.5%.
3. In the Grand Est, they increased by 2.3%.
4. In Brittany, they increased by 1.2%.
5. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, they increased by 0.1%.
6. In Center-Val de Loire, they decreased by 0.6%.
7. In Burgundy-Franche-Comté, they decreased by 1%.
8. In New Aquitaine and Hauts-de-France, they decreased by 1.8%.
9. In Pays de la Loire they decreased by 2%.
10. In Normandy, they decreased by 3.2%.
11. In Occitania, they decreased by 3.8%.

Despite disparities that change throughout the country from one year to the next, idGarage highlights a trend “towards the homogenization of prices between regions, particularly under the influence of digital technology which facilitates comparison between garages”.

And to encourage professionals in the sector to be as transparent as possible on prices and quotes to avoid “bad surprises” to customers. For the comparator, they must strive to find a balance between profitability and customer satisfaction, by continuing to evolve by innovating, and by optimizing their processes to contain costs.

The price of labor “slower than inflation”

This year, the change of parts seems to visibly contribute its share of responsibility to the overall increase. Particularly on the issue of braking, where the prices of discs and pads have increased by 20.63% in one year. For its part, the general overhaul intervention saw a price increase of +13.22%.

“This price evolution is notably linked to the technological evolution of vehicles, the increasing complexity of repairs, the increase in spare parts costs, and stricter environmental requirements,” observes Fabien Borsa, CEO of idGarages.

As for the cost of labor, this is increasing less quickly than inflation, at a rate of +4.88% over one year. For general overhaul, the year-over-year price increase is +13.22%.